Note: Don't Forget to join my Patreon.com/flokixy to get access to +40 Advance Chapters I have to stop if there is no support
[Luffy and Zoro drifted for two more days on the vast ocean.]
[Though there was still no sign of land, they received some good news!]
[Zoro had officially mastered the basics of Armament Haki!!!]
[On the deck, Zoro swung Wado Ichimonji, its blade enveloped in a thin layer of black energy!]
[He swung it back and forth in front of Luffy repeatedly.]
["Come on, you've already shown us three hundred and forty-seven times! I already know you've mastered Armament Haki—no need to keep reminding me!"]
[Luffy scratched his head, his lips twitching in exasperation.]
["Ahaha! I'm just so excited!"]
[Zoro's breakthrough from nothing to something was monumental—he couldn't help but be ecstatic!]
Monkey D. Luffy: "Hahaha!! That Zoro over there is so cute!"
Vinsmoke Sanji: "More like an idiot."
Roronoa Zoro: "Hey, it's Armament Haki! Isn't it reasonable to be this excited when you master it for the first time?"
Shanks: "He's absolutely right. When I first mastered Armament Haki, I was so thrilled I didn't eat for three days."
Silvers Rayleigh: "Such a major breakthrough in strength is indeed a cause for celebration."
[Just as Zoro prepared to swing past Luffy for the three hundred and forty-eighth time, Luffy suddenly sat up straight!]
[His eyes gleamed with excitement. "A ship is coming!!"]
[They themselves couldn't return to shore, but now that a ship was approaching, hope was on the horizon.]
["Really?!!"]
[Upon hearing this, Zoro immediately abandoned his "show-off Armament Haki" mission and rushed to the front of the deck, looking around frantically. "Where, where???"]
["There!"]
[In one step, Luffy moved to the bow and pointed straight ahead.]
[Although fog obscured the distance, his Observation Haki had already locked onto the ship hidden within.]
[The next moment, a medium-sized pirate ship emerged from the mist ahead, revealing its true form!!!]
[On its broad sail, a grinning skull emblem with a large red nose stood out prominently!]
[Highly conspicuous!!!]
"..."
On the marine battleship at Impel Down, Buggy facepalmed.
Seriously?
Even though that Luffy set sail three years earlier, he still manages to run into me???
At this point in time, Buggy's pirate crew hadn't even reached Orange Town yet!!!
Buggy had assumed that Red Luffy's timeline would avoid him entirely...
But this cursed encounter happened anyway!
Over here, White Luffy was still a rookie who got beaten up by him, leaving him bruised and battered...
But over there, Red Luffy was insanely powerful!!!
Wasn't he going to get utterly crushed???
Damn it...
That version of me is going to become my eternal embarrassment!!!
By now, like everyone else watching, Buggy had realized that aside from Luffy, all characters followed the same trajectory unless they encountered Luffy, which altered their paths.
If that version of Buggy ended up being embarrassingly weak, it meant this version of him was equally pathetic...
"Huh? Buggy, is that your pirate ship?"
Next to him, Luffy grinned, showing off his pearly whites.
Stop laughing, damn it!!
Seeing Luffy's bright smile, Buggy now wished he could pull out every single one of those teeth.
"What? Is that Captain Buggy's ship? Then those two brats are done for!!"
"That's right! Our Captain Buggy spared Straw Hat because of Shanks' influence, even giving him some pointers during their fight. But over there, who knows what'll happen!"
"Yeah, if that Buggy doesn't recognize Shanks' straw hat, Straw Hat's in for a rough time!"
"Forget about his Armament, Observation, and Conqueror's Haki—against our Captain Buggy, it's all useless!"
"That's right! In front of Captain Buggy, he won't stand a chance!!!"
.....
Hearing these sycophantic remarks, Buggy squirmed uncomfortably.
What if things went south later? How embarrassing would that be?!
["Look what we've found! Two lost little lambs adrift at sea?"]
["Hahaha! Perfect timing—we haven't had any fun today, and here they come right to us!!!"]
["Captain, there's a ship ahead with two people on board."]
[...]
[On the deck of Buggy's pirate ship, a group of pirates waved their juggling weapons excitedly.]
["Damn it, we've encountered a larger pirate crew!"]
[Zoro's expression hardened instantly, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.]
["It's fine. I'll go talk to them. We just need directions to shore—it shouldn't escalate into conflict."]
[Luffy gently patted Zoro's hand gripping the sword, signaling him not to act rashly.]
[Then, he grabbed the railing with both hands and took a few steps back!]
[Whoosh...!!]
[Luffy's figure shot toward Buggy's pirate ship like a cannonball.]
[On the deck of Buggy's pirate ship...]
[After hearing his crew's report, Buggy stepped out of the cabin.]
[Just as he was about to order a cannon barrage, a figure suddenly landed right in front of him...]
[Ah!]
[Caught off guard, Buggy jumped in shock!!]
[Damn it, how dare he attack us directly!!]
[Doesn't Captain Buggy have any pride left...???]
["Grab him!!—"]
[Buggy pointed dramatically, issuing the command.]
["Yes!"]
["Seize him!"]
[...]
[Buggy's underlings charged at Luffy with bloodthirsty cries.]
[Eh?]
[Luffy frowned, feeling frustrated.]
[He had only intended to negotiate and ask for directions...]
[But they decided to attack outright instead!]
[Fine... Looks like we're doing this the hard way first.]
[Instantly, Luffy unleashed his Conqueror's Haki!!]
[BOOM!!]
[An invisible wave of pressure erupted from Luffy's body!!]
[It crashed down on the surrounding pirates!!!]
[In an instant, the pirates froze as if gripped by an overwhelming terror. Their strength drained away completely, their faces turned pale, and they collapsed uncontrollably to the ground!!!]
[Crack crack crack crack!!!!]
[The edges of the ship's railings splintered under the sheer force of Luffy's Conqueror's Haki.]
[The bustling deck fell deathly silent in an instant.]
[Now, the only ones still standing on the deck were Luffy and Buggy.]
[Of course...]
[The reason Buggy remained standing was that Luffy had deliberately avoided targeting him when unleashing his Conqueror's Haki.]
[He came to ask for directions, after all—you need someone to talk to.]
[And sparing the captain was clearly the most logical choice.]
On the marine battleship at Impel Down...
"Look! That guy used Conqueror's Haki!! But it had no effect on our Captain Buggy whatsoever!!!"
"Only those with immense strength can resist the effects of Conqueror's Haki! And look—Captain Buggy didn't even flinch! His power must be unfathomable!!!"
"Captain Buggy, forever a god among men!!!"
.....
Watching Buggy remain calm and composed under the weight of Conqueror's Haki, the escaped prisoners from the depths of Impel Down gazed at him with awe, their admiration flowing endlessly like a mighty river.